Käthe Kollwitz

Self-Portrait, 1924

I took an art history class last semester. Obviously it's really hard to go through the world's history of art in a couple of months, and I honestly found the class fairly (extremely) boring. By the end of the semester, I skipped more than I went. Maybe that's unscholarly of me, but becoming a scholar of art doesn't interest me much anyway. Being an expert takes away a bit of a person's creativity and passion in that area, I think.

But as I was saying!

As a person who has tried her hand at numerous mediums, I think I am safe in saying that I will never become a professional artist. Regardless of how much appeal that title holds to me, the greatest appreciator and historian of my artwork is myself. And that's okay.

Painting and sculpture are not my forte. While I am very impressed by people who are able to paint or sculpt elaborate works of art, I don't really have much desire to pursue that area myself. Maybe it's because I know the results would not be pretty. In any case, I much prefer a simple drawing to marble and fresco and whatever else.

That being said, one person whose work I was intrigued by during the course of my art history class was Käthe Kollwitz, a German artist who worked during the early half of the 20th century.

Death and the Mother

I really like Käthe Kollwitz's drawings; they have an unfinished quality that makes them a little rough around the edges, which I think kind of adds to the feeling one gets from the drawings. Clearly Kollwitz set out to portray an emotion rather to create something particularly beautiful. I am fairly positive she met her goal - her drawings are extremely evocative.

Death and the Mother is probably my favorite. I think it perfectly captures the emotion the woman must be feeling to have death breathing down her neck while she's holding her baby.

Plus, it's damn creepy. I can dig that.

So what about you? Do you have any favorite artists, art movements, works of art, etc.? You got anything to share that creeps you out in a good way? Do post a comment; we'd love to hear from you!